Putting same-sex marriage in perspective

Once again, Joe Cordill seems to “get it.” (Same-sex marriage comes to Alabama; The Times, Feb. 17) The question for the media (academia: historians/political scientists/journalists, and most people who claim to be interested in the issue) is, why don’t they understand just what this civil rights issue involves and why it is necessary to put it in perspective.

Reading publications and hearing/seeing the issue of marriage equality discussed would lead most people to think it became an issue a few years ago and has easily become reality.

It sure was not viewed as easy to achieve when it first became one of the goals of the movement to gain equal/civil rights for homosexual Americans when it was covered in ONE Magazine in 1953.

Cordill is typical and most people — no matter their view on homosexuality then, and essentially the same in 1976 — had no idea that ending sodomy laws, much less achieving marriage equality and homosexuals serving openly in the military would have been achieved by 2015. The media is partly to blame for that — they/it ignored the “news” all these decades.

It seems queer that historians have so little interest in learning how we achieved the goals. Politicians may learn the importance of the “movement” the hard way.

What most Americans should know is that the changes in society were made by using the system our nation’s founders gave us.

Cordill is right, sadly. Most people did not have faith that our society can change and are surprised that what seemed unbelievable and impossible was achieved from the thoughts/dreams in the 1950s to reality in 2015.

Of the goals the founders of the movement had, marriage is the one that was truly achieved by grass roots workers, and that is the power of a successful movement — no one leader, no one organization, but many people working on different parts (legal, religious, social, etc.)

Bigots know well the diversity of the work, but most people are truly surprised when they see a copy of Gayellow Pages, the national GLBY movement resource guide, and the thousands of organizations and publications working to educate people on the subject.

Somewhere today there are a few people working for some other causes which, when they succeed years from now, will be a “surprise” to the media. As today, they will have ignored the clues along the years. The message from those who have worked on this cause is, go for it, you can succeed if your cause is just. Most Americans do want fairness for all citizens.